PBS 106.7FM is very excited to announce an extra-special edition of its monthly ska, rocksteady and early reggae event Jamaica Jump-Up featuring a special LIVE set from a living legend of Jamaican music Stranger Cole, direct from Kingston, at The Gasometer Hotel on Saturday, November 21.

With a distinguished career spanning more than five decades, Stranger Cole is one of the true pioneers of offbeat sounds. Having commenced his recording career in 1962 at the height of the ska explosion, Stranger was one of the forerunners of the shift to rocksteady – widely accepted as the golden age of Jamaican music – and the eventual evolution into reggae, the global phenomenon that continues with full force to this day.

He’s worked with a long list of these genres’ heavyweights in this time – from early collaborations with legendary producers Duke Reid, Coxsone Dodd and Prince Buster and vocalists Ken Boothe and Patsy Todd at the dawn of rocksteady era, through to collaborations with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Jah Shaka in more recent times – Stranger is truly one of the greats, with tracks ‘Ruff and Tuff’, ‘Bangarang’, ‘Crying Every Night’ and ‘Arti Bella’ (With Ken Boothe) among the undisputable classics of Jamaican popular music. As a regular on the global festival circuit, we’re honoured to have him join us in an intimate setting at The Gasometer, performing his rocksteady and ska classics live with The Jump-Up All-Stars, the finest offbeat players Melbourne has to offer.

For the occasion, Jamaica Jump-Up resident selectors Jesse I (Babylon Burning), Mohair Slim (Blue Juice) and Stryka D (Break the Chain), will be joined by guests Richie 1250 (Stone Love), Systa bb (The Good, The Dub & The Global – 3RRR) and Fabulous Fez (UK) with 100% vinyl selections to warm the crowd up, and nice up the dance until 3am. Don’t sleep on it – tickets are limited!